Forever
by Dragonflys-Girl
Summary: It's the uncertainties in life that throw people off. GibbsKate. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 01

Title: Forever

Author: Lady Peach

Disclaimers: Well, I probably can't afford a lawyer if you decide to sue me, much less pay you, so, save yourself some money, eh? I'm not making a profit off this. I just love to take the characters out and make them fulfill some of my fantasies – puleeezze (imagine Gibbs doing it Yankees White?)

Notes: Well, this is my first fic after a long "vacation" during which I was too busy working and studying to write / read any fics! Hope you like this and… but please be gentle when reviewing, k?

Spoiler: No particular plots revealed, but background information for each character learned from Yankee White to Black Water should be considered a fair game...

* * *

Kate can't stop her hands from shaking; neither can she make herself look away from the test she holds. Sure, the instructions on the box are easy and simple enough: you pee on the test, then you wait for five minutes for the chemicals to work, and you'll know the result. What is neglected, however, is how agonizing the five minutes are. They are probably the longest five minutes of her entire adult life, knowing her future hinges on the result of this test: her career, her relationships, her priorities …

Her reverie is interrupted by the door bell. She looks to the right for her counter and realizes too late who is at the door. Her suspicion of being pregnant has thrown her off guard and she has totally forgotten about the dinner date they have planned for the night. Quickly, she shoves the test into the garbage can and washes her hands.

"Coming!" she yells while trying to make herself look as decent and presentable as she can. "Just a minute."

A look through the peephole confirms her guess that it is, indeed, Gibbs on the other side and she opens the door, attempting to look calm and poised. She knows the man can pick up anxiety like sharks do on blood.

"What took you so long?" her dinner companion asks with a scowl on his face.

"I was in the washroom, getting ready and all that, you know," she waves her hand in a dismissive manner and hopes he hasn't picked up on the trembling of her voice.

"Oh, in that case," his features relax a little – as do Kate's – and a tender smile takes its place. "These are for you."

Kate is left speechless in her own foyer. Gibbs has handed her the largest bouquet of orchids she's ever seen, and after the emotional turmoil she has just gone through in the washroom, she can't hold back the tears that are threatening to fall.

"Gibbs, how do you - " she takes the bouquet, with no idea how to express her surprise at the gesture. She's never told Gibbs they're her favourites. How does he know?

Gibbs grins at her reaction and leans in to kiss her chastely on the lips before cupping her face gently and uses his thumbs to wipe the tears that have escaped. "Only the best for you," he whispers softly to her ears, then straightens up and grins more widely. "Plus, what kind of a special agent would I be if I fail to figure out orchids are your favourites?"

Completely floored by his gesture, Kate remains rooted in her foyer, the bouquet in her hands, Gibbs' arms around her waist. She still remembers when they first started this relationship and he has declared himself to be inept at the "dating game."

"I don't do romance well, Katie," he said after sharing a kiss that took her breath away and made her forget about anything and everything, his hands still in her hair, her hands still hanging on around his neck. "I don't send flowers, I don't do gifts, I don't do pet names. Heck, I will probably forget your birthdays five years in a row or more and never celebrate our anniversaries. I just don't do these kinds of things well."

"That is fine," she remembers herself saying, still wrapped up in the thrilling sensation of the kiss. "As long as you promise you're try your best to make this work with me."

She has to smile at the memory. If Gibbs says he doesn't do romance well, she really hasn't known anyone who does. The Gibbs she sees outside of work is a totally different person. He is softer, with a glow around him and makes her heart melts. This, Kate realizes, is Gibbs' intensity, the same intensity that makes him so relentless and so good at what he does at NCIS, directed at her. The bouquet of orchids she now holds in her hands speaks for that fact. Finally, after she's confident that she can form a complete, logical sentence, Kate pulls back and looks into his eyes, "You go settle down, and I'll find a vase for these."

Gibbs walks into the now familiar living room and turns to survey Kate's CD selection before putting one in the stereo. Making himself at home on the couch while the soft music fills the living room, Gibbs fingers the box he has in his jacket.

There's no easy way to get around it, he decides, and has to stifle a groan that threatens to escape. He's been burned so badly before that he doubts if he's doing the right thing, but every time he sees her – at work, a relaxing evening at his house or her apartment, even when he was livid with her actions and stubbornness – all his doubts are overshadowed by the overwhelming love he feels for her.

Of course, he's never told her he loves her. That's not his style. He will show her he loves her over and over again, but he has a hard time translating the actions into words. She has told him regularly that she loves him, and has told him that she doesn't mind the fact that he's not yet ready to say the words, though he can see the little bit of disappointment that lurked around in her eyes briefly when he didn't return the sentiments verbally. Tonight, he vows. Tonight he will make those disappointments go away.

Hearing footsteps from the kitchen, Gibbs turns to see Kate returns with a crystal vase for the orchids. She places them on the coffee table in front of the couch before settling down on the couch beside him. When Gibbs puts his hand around her shoulders, she instinctively snuggles up to him.

Gibbs looks down at the woman in his life and can't hold back a smile. Who would have thought that the kick-ass-secret-service-turned-NCIS-special-agent is so fond of cuddling?

"Thank you," her soft whisper breaks the silence between them. "They're absolutely beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you are," he replies and kisses the top of her head.

"You're sweet-talking again," she murmurs against his chest, her hands drawing lazy circles that are driving him to the brink of insanity. He bites back a groan when she brushes pass his nipple and quickly takes hold of her hand in hope to not embarrass himself.

"I'm only telling the truth, and nothing but the truth," he swears brushing his thumb over her knuckles.

"You know, you're really a big soft teddy bear under the gruff surface," she teases as she turns around to look at him.

He merely raises an eyebrow to her statement.

"I mean, nobody will believe me when I tell them that you're the most tender man I've ever met, and every day you will do some romantic gesture that will make me fall in love with you all over again. You are so serious and such a bastard at work that it's so hard to imagine you can be this affectionate. I should have known, though. All your focus and concentration and your meticulous mind and big heart. You let them slip sometimes at work, but I should have known you are such a gentle man under all that tough-marine look."

"I only act this way to the one I value most in my life," he answers softly, but honestly.

"You know I won't hurt you, right?" Kate can't help but asks. She cannot stop herself from analyzing Gibbs' thoughts and behaviour – she is, after all, a trained profiler, and Gibbs' reluctance to open up to her is a classic case.

"I know," he answers. "And I will die before I hurt you, or let anyone else hurt you."

Tears spring into Kate's eyes. Just when she thinks she has Gibbs all figured out, he will say or do something that will have her re-evaluate her analysis.

They let the conversation die, each comfortable enough with the other to enjoy the silence between them. Gibbs still has her hands in his, and he occasionally brings them up to her lips for a soft kiss.

"I'll go get dinner ready," she leans in for another kiss before getting up and walks toward the kitchen. She tells him she has already started, but Gibbs still stands up and follows her. Even though he knows she probably won't need his help, he wants to be close to her.

They move together well in the kitchen. He hands her the tools she needs, sometimes even before she asks for it. The comfort he feels while being in such domestic settings with Kate affirms that giving her the ring is, indeed, the right thing to do. Somehow, this feels more intimate than all the loving they can do in the bedroom under the sheets.

The food is excellent; the atmosphere is perfect. He sees this as the opportunity to ask for Kate's hand when he brings the glass of red wine to his lips. The excitement he feels in the pit of his stomach makes him careless, and the wine spills from the glass onto the front of his shirt.

"Oh, Jesus," he murmurs, standing up quickly to assess the damage.

"Go clean up in the washroom," Kate orders laughingly. She has never seen Gibbs embarrass himself like that, and she finds it extra amusing to see the usually composed Gibbs frazzled.

Frustrated that the mood is lost, and urged by the need to get the red wine stain off his shirt, Gibbs makes his way purposefully to the washroom. Many balls of toilet papers later, he finds trying to soak up the red wine is a lost cause, and decides to take off the shirt to run hot water through it. Gathering all the spoiled tissues he's used, he takes off the lid to the garbage can – and everything drops onto the floor.

With shaking hands, he takes out the test that lies in the garbage can. He sucks in a breath when he sees the sign that indicates a life is growing inside Kate. His mind automatically revisits a similar situation about a decade ago when he, too, found a positive pregnancy test in the trash can. Normally, finding that test shouldn't be a surprise, but it became one when the couple hadn't been sleeping together for the last year of their marriage. That had led to the first failed marriage of his life.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself. Kate wouldn't do that to him. _She won't do that to me_, his heart states adamantly. _Prove it_, his mind plays the devil advocate.

Being the trained investigator that he is, Gibbs has long since detached himself from emotional assessment of any situation – including personal ones. He needs empirical facts.

_She didn't have the time to_, his mind willingly provides such evidence. Since Kate works with him, he's with her for most of their waking hours, and he sees her almost every night when they are not on a hot case. Satisfied with the result of the internal debate, he shifts his attention to the other thoughts he has to sort through.

Kate is pregnant. Is he ready to handle having a family, more importantly, a baby? They haven't had the chance to discuss the prospect of starting a family. He's not young anymore. He isn't sure if it's a wise choice to have kids. But then, that choice is now out of his hands now, isn't it?

"Gibbs, are you alright?" Kate knocks at the bathroom door, concerned. "You didn't fall into the toilet, did you?"

"I'm fine," he answers back. "I'll be out in a few minutes. The stain's more stubborn than I thought."

"Well, hurry up," she demands. "Dessert's melting."

With that, she moves away from the doorway. Gibbs surveys around the washroom, making sure every ball of paper is put into the trash can, as is the pregnancy test. Satisfied, he washes his hands and opens the bathroom door.

Later that night, he opens the living room door and breaks his vow, the velvet box laid untouched in his pants' pockets.


	2. Chapter 02

Another bathroom, another excruciating five minutes, Kate thinks sardonically to herself. Her hands are not shaking as badly as the last time though, so that should be a bonus.

She has left right on the dot for her lunch break and quickly stuffed down the sandwich she brought to work with her so she could get to the pharmacy and buy another test. She didn't think to bring one with her - she never knows if she'll have the time to do the testing, anyway.

So, here she is, sitting in the cubicle waiting for the chemicals to produce the result that she so desperately wants to know. It doesn't matter if it's positive or negative; she just wants the anxiety over and done with.

Then, she can start to think of resolutions to the problem.

Kate is not a superstitious person. Her belief of the unseen is limited to her faith in Catholicism. Yet, somehow, she just _knows_ she is pregnant, that a life is growing inside of her. Maybe a mother really does know these things.

Finally, the box at the end of the pregnancy test is starting to change, and Kate stares at it intently, and she smiles despite the foreseeable turmoil that is guaranteed to rock her world.

There is definitely a plus sign in the box.

Kate knows if she keep the smile on her face, she will never be able to keep her pregnancy a secret (which should be kept a secret, at least until she has discussed it with Gibbs thoroughly), but she can't help herself. Knowing a small miracle is growing inside her makes her all warm and fuzzy.

She has always dreamed about being a mother, and she finds extreme pleasure in knowing that is going to become one in probably less than nine months.

She will have to cut back on the field work, but that won't be a problem. Kate is confident of her abilities as an agent to solve cases without actually being out there to pursue the criminals. She can contribute as much by going through the evidence, finding out patterns, getting into the criminals' mind, or seeing clues among the seas of seemingly unconnected clues.

She is good at what she does, and a little difference in her physical abilities won't be much of a hindrance.

The only problem she has to worry about is how Gibbs will take it.

As that though enters her mind, her smile falters, and she can see the literal glow around her dims a few watts. She has no idea how Gibbs will take the situation. There will no doubt be questions, and she isn't sure how long before their relationship will become public knowledge. She is even less sure how Gibbs thinks about forming a family of his own.

Her undergraduate psychology classes told her that a man thrice divorce is very unlikely to appeal to starting a family of his own. Especially when his career is at stake. Much more importantly, when his heart is at stake.

Deep in her thought, Kate fails to realize that she has already made her way back to her desk, and finds the area empty. Looking around puzzled, she wonders where the rest of the team is. The criminals in the navy and marine have been behaving themselves lately, and there haven't been much pressing cases to keep the team going, so Gibbs has decided to look into some cold cases.

The team is working on the murder of one Lt. Cecilia Jennings from Norfolk, and with fresh eyes, the team managed to find clues and evidence to tie the murder to another officer in the same command. They are closing in on the suspect now.

When Kate settles down behind her desk, all her good mood just evaporates. Gibbs has left her a note. "Gone to apprehend the suspect" the note reads. "Will call you when we get back."

Kate is ready to throw something, anything, at their leader. Though she doesn't mind, it has been five days in a row that Kate has been left behind in the office whenever there is a chance while Tony, and even McGee, went out with Gibbs to interview potential suspects.

She has no idea what got to Gibbs, but he has been oddly protective of her, at points where even Tony raised his brow to his gestures. He frowned at her when she asked for her daily dose of caffeine and barks at her when she attempts to lift the box of evidence down to the lab to Abby. It was getting extremely bizarre and irritating.

He's acting like an over protective expectant father, she murmurs to herself, and pauses her movements. _He wouldn't have known, would he? There's no way._ She just finds out herself. There is _no_ way.

At the end of the day, when the suspect is safely in JAG's custody, she will get Gibbs to get Chinese take out with her - something sour, lemon probably. She has a craving for lemon chicken - and tells him everything.

The cell on her belt vibrates and she has already stood up and gathered her things when she flips the phone open to answer.

Shelving her thoughts for later, Kate gathers her things to get to work.


	3. Chapter 03

Part 03 of Forever

Disclaimers: See Part 01

* * *

Gibbs finds himself standing nervously outside Kate's apartment door the second time in a week.

It has been extremely difficult for him to have to sit on the information when they were working the case, but work is work, and he can't let his personal relationship with Kate interfere with catching a young lieutenant's killer.

He did, however, manage to keep her safe by leaving her in the office. If looks could kill, Gibbs is sure he would be dead several times now. But he is, after all, the senior agent in the team and he can make her stay at headquarters when he wants - and that is what he wants.

Knowing that he shouldn't hesitate any longer, he rings the door bell and waits. He can hear some faint music coming through the door - the CD of Joe Cocker, it seems.

Finally, the door opens and reveals a very domestic Kate. She's dressed simply in jeans and a form fitting red blouse, hair tied back into a messy ponytail. Grinning widely, she steps aside to let him in.

"Good evening, Katie," he leans forward to kiss her chastely on the lips.

"Evening," she replies. Taking his hands in her small ones, she leads him to the already set table.

"I thought we were going to order pizza?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Pizzas are not good for you," she chides softly,_ nor the baby_,she adds to herself.

He tries to pout, but she just laughs at him. "Let's have dinner before it gets cold, okay?"

Nodding, he pulls her chair out for her and pushes it in when she has sat down. Kate flashes him with a big smile. He's old school, and he's always a gentleman. She always loves that about him.

They were chatting about nothing and everything while they eat. Kate let herself relax and enjoy the moment. _Before he leaves tonight_, she promises herself. _Before he leaves tonight he will know that he's going to be a daddy._

After the meal, the couple moves to cuddle on the couch. Early on in their relationship, Kate has found out, much to her surprise, Gibbs loves to cuddle as much as she does. He reaches over to turn the stereo's volume up before settling down on the couch and pulls Kate to his side, his left arm around her back and rests comfortably on her shoulder. They have dimmed the living room's light already and now, the only illumination in the room is the soft glow of the moon from the outside.

They aren't talking, but just enjoying each other's warmth. Kate picks up Gibbs' free hand and starts playing with his fingers. She loves his hand.

Though Kate is enjoying the moment, she knows she be honest with Gibbs. She can't wait forever.

"Gibbs," she starts softly.

"You should start calling me Jethro, you know," he cuts her off and brings her hand to his lips.

"Why?" she turns to look at him, dumb-folded. The whole time in their relationship, he has never asked her to call him Jethro. Not once.

"Because it'd be silly to call me with my last name, especially since that will be your last name very soon," he answers with a glint in his eyes.

It takes a while for the message to sink in, her eyes wide when it finally does.

"Gibbs - Jethro, whatever, are you saying what I think you are?" she asks, her voice trembling a little.

"Well, depends on what you're thinking," he teases gently, "and if you're thinking that I'm asking you and the baby to have my name, then yes, you're correct. I want to do the right thing, for us, you know."

"The baby?" she almost squeaks.

"The one you're carrying right now," he explains softly, and watches when her eyes go from confusion to shock.

"How...and how long?"

"I saw the pregnancy test in your trash the last time we had dinner here," he explains.

Realization dawns on her, and she frowns when she realizes that Gibbs has known she is pregnant before she did. His action during the case now makes much more sense, why he frowned at her, why he wouldn't let her go out to interrogate with them. All these because he knows about the baby.

_Then is he proposing because of the baby too?_

She wants to shut that voice that is in her head, but it's persistent, haunting her.

"Katie?" Gibbs is getting concerned now. He wants an answer to his proposal, whether she agrees to refuses. He just hates not knowing.

"You want to marry me," she states again.

"Yes. I want to take care of the baby and you. I want us to be together."

It sounds too much like he's proposing because of the baby, way too much alike for her comfort.

The voices in her head wont' stop. They continue to haunt her.

"Katie?" Gibbs pulls away a little and looks at her, his concern evident when he looks into her eyes. "What's going on? Are you okay? Something wrong?"

"I'm sorry, Gibbs," she says brokenly. She won't push him into marriage because he wants to do the right thing. The insecurity she's been carrying with her now is out in full force. "I can't do this right now."

Standing up on shaky legs, she starts toward her bedroom and closes the door.

Gibbs again leaves her apartment with the same velvet box in his pants' pocket. This time, he wonders if he will ever give the ring to her.


	4. Chapter 04

Part 04 of Forever

Disclaimers: See Part 01

* * *

"You look like you haven't slept at all, Jethro," the medical examiner remarks when he sees Gibbs entering autopsy, alone. "What's the matter?"

"My life is getting very complicated at the moment," he turns to look at his long time friend. He knows Ducky will understand. He has known since the very beginning.

"Complicated? How so?" Ducky puts down the report he's reading and walks to sit beside Gibbs, recognizing that this is one of the heart-to-heart sessions between the two friends that have ceased to happen for quite some time now.

"Remember the ring?"

"Have you given it to Caitlin yet?"

"She turned me down."

Ducky doesn't say anything. He just sits beside Gibbs, taking in his words and trying to wrap his mind around the fact that Caitlin - sweet Caitlin who has worn her love for the senior agent on her sleeves for so long - has turned Jethro down. Something isn't settling right for him.

"Tell me what happened exactly," the doctor demands.

"We were having dinner last night, and after that, I asked her to call me Jethro, because it'd be silly for her to call me by what will soon be her last name."

"And you call that a proposal?" the doctor smirks. He knows his friend isn't good at romancing, but he should have been better than that. He has been married thrice, after all. But despite all that, Ducky knows Kate, and he knows that she won't turn him down simply because Gibbs wasn't exactly Mr. Romantic last night. She'd make him grovel a little more, tease him a little, and accept.

"Kate knows that I don't do romance well," Gibbs retorts, and Ducky simply nods.

"Tell me more. What else?"

"I said that I want to be with her and the baby, that I want to do the right thing for us."

"Baby?" Ducky's eyebrows go way up. "What baby? Caitlin is pregnant? Good Lord, that's why she's been throwing up and turning green. How far along is she?"

"I don't know. I didn't have a chance to ask and she didn't tell me."

"What do you mean by she didn't tell you? Why didn't you ask when she told you she's pregnant?"

"Because she hasn't told me yet," Gibbs clarified. "Technically she still hasn't told me directly. I found out by accident."

"And she didn't know you knew," Ducky concluded.

"Duck, what does it have to do with anything? I want to be with her for the rest of my life, baby, or no baby."

"Did you tell her that?" the good doctor turns to smile at his long time friend. Jethro Gibbs has an exceptional mind when it comes to catching bastards that are harming those serving their country, but he is a jerk when it comes to dealing with people, and he is an incomparable jerk with those he loves.

"Not in so many words," Gibbs rubs his face tiredly. "I'm asking her to marry me, isn't that enough?"

"Maybe it's not, Jethro. Maybe she thinks you're doing this for the wrong reason."


	5. Chapter 05

Kate feels like a coward.

She called in sick today - not placing the call to Gibbs but calling the Director instead, then asking Tony to deliver the message.

This is the easy way out, she knows, but she is not ready to face Gibbs. Not yet.

Lazily, her hands come to rest on top of her stomach. It's still early in the pregnancy for it to be rounded, but she still feels the life inside her, and she revels in it.

"What should I do, Little One?" she asks the life inside her, her hands moving up and down slowly. "I mean, he wants to marry me. I should have said yes, right? I mean, that's what's good for us, isn't it? You definitely deserve a family, and Gibbs will definitely be a great dad. I don't want to guilt him into marrying me though."

The throbbing in her head returns as she continues her one-sided conversation to the child inside her. Tiredly, she lays her head back on the couch and closes her eyes. Images after images of the night before fly in front of her. The surprise, the shock, the frustration, the guilt ... everything she experienced is now on display.

She is about to fall asleep on the couch when someone knocks at the door. Wearily, she turns away from it and hopes it will go away.

The knocks come back.

Groaning, she stands up and moves to open the door.

"Good evening, Caitlin. I hope I didn't wake you," her visitor says with a British accent, "but you need to eat, especially when you aren't feeling well, and I know for a fact that you don't eat well enough."

Kate smiles at her unexpected guest. Ducky has always been like a father to her, and she is glad he has decided to visit. She can use some company listening to his stories about old times. They fascinate her, sometimes.

"Here, you should have some of this soup. My mother's a wiz at making feel-good food," Ducky hands over the thermo and follows Kate to the kitchen.

Kate smiles at the older man looking in on her. She has been independent for so long that she's forgotten how good it feels to have someone to take care of her.

"Thank you, Ducky," she leans down to kisses him on his cheek. "I'm sure it's very good. I just don't think I have the stomach for food right now."

Ducky watches while Kate put the soup into a container and washing the thermo thoroughly.

"Now, Caitlin, tell Dr. Mallard what is wrong. Have you been to a doctor yet?

Kate pauses what she's doing and contemplates how to answer the doctor. She doesn't want to lie to someone who is actually looking out for her, but she is not yet ready to tell the truth yet.

"No, I haven't. I'm sure whatever it is, it will pass by fairly quickly," she states firmly. Hoping to stop Ducky from delving too deep, Kate hastily changes subject, "You want anything to drink? I've got juice, water, some Chinese sweet soup, and beer. I think I may have some scotch stack somewhere in the cabinet."

"I'll take some Chinese delicacy, if I may, dear," the medical doctor helps Kate getting the drinks ready and moves with her back to the living room.

Kate is settling in her couch, getting comfortable, when Ducky suddenly blurbs out, "Why aren't you wearing your ring, Caitlin?"

She almost chokes on her juice. Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down, she asks with a hoarse voice, "What ring?"

"The one Jethro bought you on your birthday," the medical doctor states matter-of-factly. "I've never seen him spend so long in a store before; almost drove the poor salesgirl insane."

Ducky looks up to see the face of a shocked woman, and he smiles before setting his drink on the coffee table.

"I ... " Kate stammers and quickly shakes her head. "You know what, Ducky, I'm getting quite tired. Must be the meds I took."

"You shouldn't take pills just like that, dear, not when you are not sure what's wrong with you," he chides softly, keeping up the play with the agent.

"I ... I guess I'll go to bed now, Ducky," she tries to sound apologetic, but her heart's beating too fast for her to think. "Stay and finish your drink, and just close the door when you're going out, alright?"

The medical doctor nods, "I'll just slide the key back into the apartment, okay, dear?"

"Yes, that's fine," she responds and takes off to her room.

Ducky stays to finish his drink and washes both glass before taking Kate's spare key and getting his jacket on. His mother will enjoy this latest story of his colleagues, he's sure. He closes the door behind him and slides the key inside the apartment, as he said he would, and leaves the building humming. Mission accomplished.


	6. Chapter 06

Gibbs chucks his fifth empty coffee cup away. He's been sitting in this park near Kate's apartment building for the past 30 minutes, thinking about what he should do. His talk with Ducky didn't help. It actually unsettled him more, which leads to what he's doing right now. Sighing, knowing he shouldn't stall any longer, he starts walking toward her building. He's barely out of the park when his phone shrills through the quietness.

"Gibbs, this better be good," he growls.

"It's me," her voice trembles a little over the phone line.

"Katie?" his voice drops to a tender whisper. "You alright?"

"Where are you?" she sounds lost to Gibbs' ears, and he fastens his pace to the apartment. "You're not at your house."

"You're outside my house?" Gibbs asks, incredulous, and starts to laugh. "While here I am walking like a madman to your apartment?"

"Gibbs, what - "

"Jethro, Katie. Jethro," he corrects. "Marriage or no marriage. You stay put and I'll come back right now, you got that?"

His ride back to his own house is in a blur. He only knows it took all he had to keep from speeding, not because he doesn't want to rush back to his house, but he reminds himself that if he got pulled-over, it'll likely take twice as long to get to Kate.

"Katie," he jumps out of the car as soon as he turns the engine off.

She looks up from the steps she's been sitting on, "You're back." Without another word, she throws her arms around his neck and lets her tears flow.

"Hey, hey, what's wrong?" he asks against the top of her head.

"Damn hormones."

He laughs, and she laughs with him. There is no better sound to him, he realizes. Just making her laugh would be enough for him.

"Come on, let's go in before we put on a free show for my neighbours," he rests his hand against the small of her back comfortably. She walks in with him, taking his strength and sharing his body heat.

"Coffee?" he asks once he shut the door behind them and they settle beside each other in his basement, looking at the skeleton of his boat.

"No caffeine, remember?" she turns to face him fully, her hands again resting against her stomach.

"Right," he shifts, his mouth suddenly too dry and his palms too wet. He watches as she sits on a shelf, facing him and his boat, and rests her head back, her eyes close, her lashes flutter against her face.

"Do you still have the ring?" she asks without opening her eyes.

"What?"

"The ring, do you still have it?" she asks again, finally opening her eyes and looking directly at the man who fathered her baby.

Wordlessly, he reaches into his pants' pockets and takes out the velvet box that has accompanied him for quite some time now. He flips open the box and extends his arms, showing her the ring in the setting.

Kate first raises her index finger to trace over the diamond set perfectly in the middle then takes the ring out.

"Will you still take me as your wife?" she asks, her gaze concentrated on the ring she has in her hands instead of looking at him, scared of what she may see. "Me and the baby?"

She waits for his response, but instead, feels him near her. When he is standing beside her, he takes the ring from her hands, holds onto her left hand and slips the ring onto the middle finger.

"This, is not coming off, no matter what," he promises before leaning down to share a kiss with her. "This, Katie, is forever."

"Forever." 


End file.
